Make mental health a priority

Since 2004 we’ve funded mental health research projects, awarded grants to support services delivered by such bona fide local providers as Community Healthlink, Genesis Club, Jewish Family Services, Seven Hills Foundation, and Teen Anxiety & Depression Solutions. With impetus from the employees of Fidelity Bank, and numerous other corporate and individual donors, we’ve raised significant sums of money to support these services.

But the singular question posed to our advisory board was: “If we could focus our attention on only one endeavor to improve the mental health of our community, what should it be?” The unanimous reply was “awareness and education.”

Without forsaking support of mental health research and mental health services, it is so elemental that awareness through education should be our renewed launch point, especially in the face of the following stark realities.

Statistics gathered from surveys and studies conducted in recent years by the National Institute of Mental Health, Mental Health America, the Surgeon General of the United States, and the U.S. Department of Public Health’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have revealed the following:

That between 45 million and 55 million adults and youths suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. The U.S. Census Bureau recently calculated the nation’s total population at just under 315 million, meaning that approximately 1 in 6 citizens suffers from depression or such disorders as anxiety, bipolar, obsessive compulsive and others.

The SHINE Initiative has honed its focus on the mental health of children and young adults. Why? Again it seems so elemental. In Massachusetts it is estimated that as many 300,000 children and young adults suffers from a diagnosable mental illness. A Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted last year by the commonwealth’s Department of Public Health reported that one-quarter of high school students experienced daily feelings of sadness extending over a period of two or more weeks. And 15 percent of middle school students surveyed revealed similar feelings.

Two years ago 600 people of all ages in Massachusetts completed suicide, including 82 young people.

It is estimated that 90 percent of completed suicides across our nation are by people with a diagnosable and treatable psychiatric illness.

We also know this. That untreated mental illness, and especially serious and chronic mental illness, can greatly reduce one’s life expectancy. And if that’s not enough to move us to action, consider this: Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14.

It’s this information and more that spurs the mission of the SHINE Initiative and its patrons and partners across Central Massachusetts to urge everyone — parents and caregivers, physicians, educators, friends and neighbors — to come to terms with what is mental illness, to address it, to encourage people to seek treatment and support, and to collectively “shine a light” on the mental health of every child, man and woman.

We further invite the business community to use its influence to recognize mental illness as a mainstream health issue.

It’s estimated that as many as 10 million of the nation’s youngest employees —ages 18 to 25 — suffer from mental illness. Half of all workday absences are due to job-related stress and mental disorders. This equals the absences due to all other chronic illnesses combined. By promoting a mentally healthier work environment we all benefit economically and socially.

If we were told today that millions of our young people suffered from cancer, leukemia, diabetes, lung disease, or any widespread illness, society would demand an all-out healthcare assault. We need to raise our support for mental health as we have for such health illnesses as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and others.

October 7-13 is celebrated as national mental illness awareness week. But this acknowledgement is but one step along the course to further advancing the cause of mental illness. We cannot afford to restrict this focus to but one week each year. The mental health of our youngsters — indeed of all people — should not be regarded as a flavor of the week.

Given the amazing information at our disposal, and the best practices that have been developed across our community and nation and endorsed by the National Institute for Mental Health, we have a marvelous opportunity to drive mental illness from the shadows of darkness and fear. With an “enlightened mind” we can make mental illness a mainstream health issue and we can become beacons of hope for every child, man and woman who suffers from mental illness, now and forever.

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